Shield for rubber tires.



D. E. WALKER. SHIELD FOR RUBBER TIRES. APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 1908.920,795. Patented May 4, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

VITA/5557553 2 /0 0A 3 2! Dallas. EWLQkQr.

D. E. WALKER.

SHIELD FOR RUBBER TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1908' Patented May 4, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WI'INESSES:

A TTORNEY.

D. E. WALKER.

SHIELD FOR RUBBER TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13,1908.

920,795 Patented May 4, 1909.

SSHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES: [N VEN TOR.

.W Dania EWalkzr.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED srarss PATENT ()FFIGE.

l DALLAS E. WALKER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

snmnn .FOE RUBBER TIRES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-May 4', 1909.

Application filed March 13, 1908. Serial No. emcee.

useful Shield for Rubber Tires; and I do herebydeclare that the follo isa fun)" clear, and exact description thereof, reference being hadto theaccompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts. v

Theobject of this invention. is to provide a plracti'caland eliicientmetal tread tire for ve icle wheels, and one which is simple ofconstruction and arrangement, 'easy to assemble, and is readilyrepaired. ,g

Qne feature of the invention consists in combining with a resilienttire, such as a pneumatic or rubber tire, a series of transversesurrounding metal tread members that are readily-put 1n place on thetire or removedb catching under the edges of the rim or ot erwise. 3

Anothrfeature of the invention consists in constructing said transversemetal tread members so that they arereadily collapsible .orcan bepressed inwardly, but cannot be expanded or be pressed outwardly. Thisarrangement .furnishes the desired yielding character of the tire andyet resists expansion beyond the normal size of the tirev so as to.reatly strengthen the tire. This feature of t e invention isaccomplished by securing to a band, metal or otherwise, transversely:surrounding' the tread portion of the tire and having secured to saidband metal plates with their-inner adjacent edges beveled and theirouter adjacent edges abutting, so that lateral expansion thereof will beimpossible by reason of the abutting of said plates, while the innermovement or collapsing is possible because said dplates are beveled attheir inner adjacent e ges.

Along with the foregoing are the features of tapering the transversemetal tread memhers-from the middle toward each end so they fit snuglytogether against each other in series; also providing means between theband and plates forming each tread member to prevent rattling; alsoproviding an elastic packing between the tread members to revent themrattling.

'lhe full nature of this invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claim:

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile wheelequipped with the metal tread constituting this invention. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of a portion of the rim and tire of said wheel on alarger scale. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the wheel on the line3-3 of Fig. 2. the line 44= of Fig. Fig. 5 is longitudinal centralsectionthro ugh the tire. is a similar longitudinal section, showing themodified. form wherein-flexible packing rings are located. between thetreadmembers.

Fig. l is asection on Fig. 6

7 is a perspective view of one of said packing rings.

In detail there is shown in Fig. 1 an automoblle wheel with a run 10,which run is shown also in Figs. 3 and 4 as having lateral The inventionconsists in cmnbining with a resilient or inflated tire a number oftrans versely extending metal tread members. Each of these metal treadmembers may be .made, as herein shown, of a metal band or strip 1 5 onwl'iich there is slip p[ed or threaded a number of metal plates 16. t isimmaterial, however, h ow the metal plates 16 are secured to the strip15 or of What material the strip 15 is made provided it be locatedinteriorly to the abutting edges of the plate 16. It is preferable,however, it is believed, to provide an opening through the plates 16through which the strip 15 may extend. end plates 16 are secured rigidlyto the strip 15 by rivets 17 which extend entirely through the outer twoplates 16 of the series but the rivets may extend only through the innerpart of the plates. The strip 15 may be about one-hall inch wide andlong enough to encircle the tire and its ends are turned outward at anangle to form the hooked portions 18 that catch under the flanges 11 on.the tire allld thereby the tread members are held in ace. Struction thetread members are readily put in lace or removed. For illustrationyonecm; of the tread. members is inserted behind one flange 11 and then thetread member is put about the tire and the other end pressed The two Byreason of this feature of the coneach in-behind the other flange 11, theside of the rubber tire yielding while this insertion takes place. Thecontrary treatment remove the tread member.

The lates 16 are about one inch long, that is longitudinally of the tirebut taper from the middle plate to each end of the series and somewhatless in width, as the most of them may be about one-half inch wide,although the late located exactly at the tread portion ber cannotbespread: laterally orwidened because the outer edges of the plates abutagainst each other-but it may be collapsed or'its ends drawn to etherbecause the inner edges. 16- are bevel'e and permit a contractingflection of the tread member. also the inner lateral edges 16l-g of eachplate 16 are beveled, as shown in Fig? 5, so that said tread memberswith reference to each other will not interfere with the longitudinalflexibility of the tire, as shown in Fig. 5.

A sufiicient number of the tread members are'placed on a tire tocompletely envelop it and makea continuous metal tread out of the seriesof tread members. To prevent noise of the plates a raw-hide strip 19 isplaced between the plates-.16 and the band 15.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 6 and -7 I place a rubber packing.ring 0 transyersely of the tire and extending about one half of the wayaround the same between air of treadmembers. ring ls the space betweenthe tread members so that there is no play between them will readilyThis packing and no noise or rattling and yet it does not interfere withthe flexibility of the wheel.

it is thus seen that I provide a continuous metal tread for aresilient'or inflated tire which is formed in a very easy manner ofsimple, separate tread members that in no wise tend to reduce theflexible or yielding nature of the tires and yet fully protect therubbertires from" contact with the street. Since the tire is com )letelyencircled longitudinally, said trea members hold each other in place andcooperate to resist strain. By reason of their connection with the rimof thewheel they cannot creep upon the tire.

I do not wishto be ilmited to any particular material for thestrips 15nor to any particular means or manner for securing the plates 16 to saidstrip, nor to any particular means for securing the metal tread membersto the rim nor to the use of rawhide strips or rubber packir'ig stripsto prevent noise.

ii hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

The combination with av flexible tire, of a metal tread composed of aseries of tread members mounted transversely of the tire and formed of astrip of flexible material, and metal plates secured to said strip withtheir outer edges abutting against each other and their inner edgesbeveled to permit contraction but prevent expansion of said treadmembers.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto aflixed my signature in the presenceof the witnesses herein named.

DALLAS E. WALKER.

lYitnesse s: v

OLIVE BREEDEN, J. ll.S\VAN.

